For the First Time - Part Tatu

November Firsts!

First graduation party.

First birthday abroad.

First time swimming in the ocean.

  First time properly cutting a mango.

For the First Time: Part Mbili

My firsts for October!

First time drinking coconut juice, from the coconut.

First time teaching abroad!

First beach party.

First time living on the beach

First time riding a bijaji.

First send-off party.

First time adequately French-braiding my hair.

The beach near my house.	Another view from the beach.
Some teachers at the grade 7 beach party.	With Teacher Agness at the send-off party.

The B-I-B-L-E

Part of my placement in Dar Es Salaam involves working with the youth group at a PCEA church (Presbyterian Church of East Africa). Each week we have been reading a book of the Bible, and on Sundays we share which verses were our favorites. Last week we read Ephesians; I enjoyed reading the book, especially the fourth chapter. Some verses just stuck out to me, while others have deep connections to things happening in my life right now.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places – Ephesians 1:3

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the house-hold of God – Ephesians 2:19

I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:16-19

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love – Ephesians 4:1-2

as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:19-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. – Ephesians 6:10

For the First Time

September has been a time of many firsts for me, so I thought I'd share a few. Enjoy!

First time in Africa!

First time slaughtering a chicken.

First time to eat goat, mukimo, maandazi, ugali, arrowroot, and chapati.

First time washing clothes by hand.

First time taking a bucket shower.

First time seeing zebras in the wild.
First graduate level course.

Arrowroot

Mukimo and beef

Next Thing You Know

My first month away has flown by; I can’t believe it’s already October! September was spent in Kenya, orienting ourselves with the culture. We were each matched with a host family, so we spent our first weekend in Nairobi with them. My mom, dad, and three siblings were very warm and welcoming. I was fortunate enough to spend the next two weekends with them as well. The other YAVs and I also took a ten day Kiswahili course and a three day graduate course on East African culture, religion, politics, and economics. We also visited a children’s home, a center for Christian/Muslim relations, and a village in the foothills of Mount Kenya. While it was great to experience Nairobi, I’m thrilled to be in Dar es Salaam, my placement for the year!

Pictures in an Exhibition

The school where I observed that was built like Hogwarts.	"Hogwarts"
Great Rift Valley	Hogwarts even had a small bridge!
My sister and me at Great Rift Valley.	Some of my host family - Dad, Younger Brother, and Sister.
	Zebras on the side of the road!
Picking fruit at Grandma's.	The GIANT avocado we got to eat. It was delicious!
Plucking feathers from the chicken I slaughtered with my brother.	Mashing the potatoes, peas, and maize to make mukimo with my Grandma.
Mt. Kenya in the morning.
Kenya YAV group photo.	Beautiful waterfall in the village.

Fortune Favors the Brave

For those of you who know me well, this probably sounds like the last thing I would ever do, but it happened (I have video proof), and I’d do it again.

Pre-Slaughter

There I was, standing with blood spattered on my feet, laughing hysterically at myself. I had just slaughtered my first chicken, with the help of my brother, Maina. Earlier in the day, when my brothers had told me a chicken would be slaughtered for dinner, I quickly declared that I was interested in helping. As an animal lover and former vegetarian, I didn’t know if I would be able to follow through, but I knew it was a Kenyan encounter I needed to experience. As the slaughter drew nearer, I grew more nervous by the minute. I made Maina promise to help me since I wanted to cause the chicken as little pain as possible. Shaking, I held the knife to the chicken’s throat and began to saw. After the head was removed, I screamed a little as the chicken continued to move – I didn’t know it could do that! My family laughed along with me as Maina and I began to pluck the feathers. As soon as the chicken was clean we took it inside to cut it before cooking it. For some reason I hadn’t thought about removing the insides, but my stomach held strong. That night I feasted on the first chicken I had ever slaughtered.

Turns out slaughtering a chicken is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It was a time of bonding and mutual understanding with my family, an experience I’ll never forget. I slaughtered a chicken – and I did it while wearing a skirt.

Spiritlife 2012

On July 20 I finished work at Calvin Crest Camp and Conference Center, where I worked for about eight weeks this summer. These are the amazing people who were on staff with me. Although it was hot, I had a wonderful time. I started going to camp at Calvin Crest after first grade, and have gone almost every summer since. It’s always been a place of great faith growth for me. The highlight of my summer was the last week, when I had the opportunity to go mountain biking on the trails surrounding Calvin Crest. It was a small group, just five campers, but they all did an awesome job, especially the girls. The two girls grew a lot during the week, both in skill and in faith. Since I was so busy this summer, and focused on camp, I didn't have much time to think about my upcoming travel. I don't exactly feel prepared at this point, but I don’t think I’ll ever be fully prepared for where this path is about to lead me.

The Start of a Journey

I've recently been selected to be a YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) for the Presbyterian church to Africa for 2012-2013. I don't know much about my placement now, other than I should either be in Kenya or Tanzania. I'm hoping to teach at a school and work along with a church. I will be posting on this blog throughout the next year and a half as I take my journey.